Nuku Hiva Construction and Water Services

Highlights:

- We sent it on this hike to an amazing waterfall. (Check out the google photos for the pictures of the waterfall) Papi also tricked us into hunting at the same time. We drove for an hour on this trail and then ended up taking another hour and a half to get to the water instead of 20 minutes. We didn't catch/shoot anything, but we weren't complaining because the hike down to the waterfall was mean and we were all panting just trying to walk back up the hill with a lot of switchbacks. 

- We did a lot of service with Elder Lane before he left. Which included filling up a lot of water. Then Elder Hagen came and we filled up even more water and he was like woooow, we needa time-lapse this thing and I was like ohhh brah you gotta get used to it because we'll be doing this a lot.

- Had a "real French dinner" with one of our friends. We ate so much cheese and other things and were so stuffed at the very end. Me and Elder Lane got sick from the "Liver of a sick duck" that was fed to us.

- One of our friends got baptized and we got to go in the ocean. The ocean ended up being rougher then we thought it would be. We ended up going back to the church building soaking wet because we didn't pack a change of clothes. Usually you'll see sharks in the water over there but the ocean was so rough that we didn't see any or they just weren't there. Either way, I'm glad we didn't see any.

- My new companion came in before Elder Lane flew out and we decided to take a little trip to a beach close to the airport. We went back to the airport to drop off Elder Lane and then made the hour and a half voyage back to our place. 

- We did our weekly planning at the humongous Tiki and saw so many tourist pass by.

- Poured cement for 4 hours and then showeled sand into our truck bed for a Papi. 

- Had a great sacrament meeting where the members were talking about the importance of missionary work and gathering their familiy here in the Marquesian islands. 

Lowlights:

- Days passed fast and the nights passed faster. We were so happy to get into our beds every night and it felt like as soon as we got in them, our alarms would go off in the morning. 

Spiritual thought:

Boyd K. Packed says, "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrine of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior”. 

I re-read this quote this past week and it really hit me. I have seen the truthfulness of this quote throughout my mission. I have seen friends stop doing things because of the gospel and their desire to be a better person. By understanding the reasons why we do or shouldn't do something, we can appreciate what we can do or what we might be able to do. 

I know that when we really understand the doctrine of Christ our lives will change. We will find ourselves living the things that we are preaching, and enjoying every moment of it. 

"Vents favorables et mer suivants"

"Mata'i haumaru e moana mania"

"Fair winds and following seas"

Ua Here au ia 'oe,

Elder Ellis

Link to my Google Photo's album. Go check um, go check um, go!:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qErFS2eWV3pJGVEV7